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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28875075">At Midnight</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/3lvendork/pseuds/3lvendork'>3lvendork</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Mutual Pining, RSCandyHearts, teenage boys</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 07:08:36</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,310</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28875075</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/3lvendork/pseuds/3lvendork</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>On portraits and empty corridors at night</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Sirius Black/Remus Lupin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>101</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>The Candy Hearts Challenge</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>At Midnight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/somebetterwords/profile">goodboylupin’s</a> RS Candy Hearts Challenge, for the prompt: ROMEO</p><p>Big thanks to <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/snogboxandahalf/profile">snogboxandahalf</a> for their stellar beta skills!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Remus sighs and rubs the palms of his hands against his eyes until he sees stars, deciding that there really is no point in continuing his research into the history of goblin-made armor, especially since it had become increasingly pointless as the night wore on. Each book seemed to contain no more information than the last, and his essay has stubbornly clung to one foot two inches for at least the last hour, if not more. Frustrated, he closes his inkwell, shoves the parchment and books into his bag and looks up, surprised to see that the library is dark save for the lamp on his desk. His watch insists it`s almost midnight, and he checks it twice just to make sure it hasn`t decided to play tricks on him.</p><p>Eyes stinging, Remus begins to traipse back up to Gryffindor tower. At least everyone will be asleep by now, he thinks to himself wryly, and he`ll be able to take a hot shower for once without anyone bothering him.</p><p>All his plans for tonight are shattered into a pile of despair as soon as he reaches the portrait entrance to the common room, which is currently missing the Fat Lady and is being occupied by a very bald man snoring loudly against the frame. As Remus stares at the portrait in disbelief, a balled-up piece of parchment sails through the air and bounces off the portrait, falling onto the stone floor. Then, much to Remus‘ annoyance, an unmistakable voice mutters a summoning charm and the parchment zips back into the outstretched hands of Sirius. He’s sitting on the floor with his back propped up against the wall and as Remus watches, he absentmindedly throws the parchment back at the portrait; apparently aiming for the man’s head.</p><p>He takes a step forward and Sirius notices him, tensing immediately. Remus takes a deep breath, silently praying that he’s found himself in some sort of wildly mundane nightmare, before slumping down on the floor beside Sirius. Their silence stretches like old gum and Remus resolves not to be the first one to break it. Then he fails.</p><p>“So.” He says. “You`re locked out.” It`s not a question, but Remus turns his head to see Sirius nodding, his eyes resolutely fixed on the portrait.</p><p>“What happened to the Fat Lady?”</p><p>Sirius finds his voice then, throwing the parchment ball at the portrait and accioing it back into his palm. "This idiot here is Timothy the Timid from the portrait in the third-floor corridor." He says sourly, still pointedly not looking at Remus. The parchment ball makes contact with Timothy`s shining head with a soft <em>thwap </em>before falling to the floor quietly. Timothy barely stirs.</p><p>Remus tries not to think about <em>why</em> Sirius won`t look at him, or exactly how long it`s been (three days, six hours). He especially tries not to think about how his heart had skipped a beat when Sirius had grabbed his hand and pulled him into a broom cupboard in a mad effort to escape Filch. Red-cheeked and breathless, they waited with bated breath to hear Filch pass by. And then - possibly the best moment of Remus` life - Sirius had grabbed his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. And Remus, idiot that he is, has been too shocked to kiss him back.</p><p>"So?" Remus says expectantly.</p><p>“So, Timothy`s decided that it would be a terrific idea to spend the night getting drunk on the wine he found in the monk`s portrait, and then come here and proposition the Fat Lady.” The parchment ball hits Timothy`s forehead. “So, she fled.”</p><p>“Ah.” Remus doesn`t really care for the portraits` private lives. To be honest, all he wants is to crawl underneath his blankets and fall asleep. That, and for things to be normal again between him and Sirius. Remus leans his head back against the cold stone wall and stifles a groan. It had always been so easy between them but now... Remus has no idea where he stands. Did Sirius really hate the kiss that much? Was it that bad?</p><p>“Oi! Romeo! Wake up!” Sirius shouts and the echo bounces off the walls but Timothy the Timid doesn`t move. If anything, his snores become louder.</p><p>Remus digs into his bag and finds a spare piece of parchment, which he crumples into a ball and joins Sirius` efforts in hitting Timothy in the head. As fruitless as their exercise is, it’s a nice distraction from the tension that sits in the air between them. Sirius laughs loudly when Remus hits Timothy square on the nose and he scratches it without waking up.</p><p>Eventually they give up and just sit, both looking ahead at the portrait, the quiet covering the corridor like an itchy blanket. Remus thinks that maybe he should get used to it, that this is how things are now. He`s had a good run having friends, but there was bound to be something that would ruin it eventually. He`d thought it was over last year, after the near-death-Snape-fiasco, but this is different. Back then Sirius wouldn’t stop talking, wouldn’t stop apologizing. It had felt awful then, too, but nothing like this. This silence, this emptiness...nothing could have prepared Remus for this Sirius, who cannot leave the room fast enough every time Remus shows up.</p><p>He glances at Sirius out of the corner of his eye. Sirius is looking down, worrying the hem of his wrinkled shirt. He`s uncomfortable, which is a rare sight, and Remus feels like the biggest git in the world. He wishes he could go back in time and not get himself locked in that broom cupboard at all. Well, to be completely honest, what he really wishes is to be in that cupboard and actually have the wherewithal to kiss Sirius back. He`s wanted it for as long as he can remember. Sirius, with his devil-may-care attitude that Remus knows is only for show, has always been enticing and he is not sure when it became something more for him, but somehow Sirius` laugh was the most beautiful thing in the world and Remus wanted to kiss him in every broom cupboard the castle has to offer. But he bollocksed it up and now they`re sitting here in the middle of the night like two strangers awkwardly exchanging polite small talk about the weather.</p><p>“She`s not coming back, is she.” Sirius whispers.</p><p>“Probably not.”</p><p>It`s almost one o`clock now and <em>fuck it</em> Remus decides, <em>what have I got to lose</em>, if they`re not friends anymore, then it doesn`t really matter what he does now and so he slips his fingers into Sirius` hand. Sirius looks at him then with so much hope that it almost cracks in the air between them. And suddenly, Remus doesn`t have to go digging for courage somewhere deep, suddenly the most natural thing in the world is to lean in and press their lips together. Sirius melts into him immediately, his lips are a little dry and his stubble is scratching Remus` face, but it doesn`t matter because it`s absolutely perfect. He feels Sirius` fingers soft against his hand and he realizes vaguely that he is not tired anymore and that there could not possibly be a better place than a stone floor in an empty corridor in the middle of the night.</p><p>They jump apart as the portrait swings open, and a bleary-eyed James sticks his head out, sleep-slow and yawning.</p><p>“Bit cold out here for a slumber party, innit.” James says evenly, and if he is surprised, he doesn’t let on. He holds the portrait open so they can climb in. Sirius goes first, not letting go of Remus` hand.</p>
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